Search: insult and defamation laws in Europe, from 2020
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
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CountryBelarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180
ContinentEurope
LevelNational 4
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 2023 | Russia: journalist Maria Ponomarenko is sentenced to six years for reporting on a Mariupol strike | Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (15 February 2023) |
| 8 February 2023 | Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut is sentenced to eight years for inciting hatred | Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Alexander Lukashenko | Reversed (28 April 2026) |
| 4 March 2022 | Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prison | Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Vladimir Putin | Sustained |
| 30 March 2020 | Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers | Hungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Viktor Orban | Unknown |